Stunning tennis WAG pays tribute to Charlie Kirk as she makes 'painful' plea to 'troubled and divided' America

The fiancee of US tennis star Tommy Paul has bemoaned how 'divided and troubled' America has become in an emotional rant following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Conservative activist and MAGA influencer Kirk, 31, was fatally shot in the neck while hosting a Q&A event for Turning Point USA - the conservative nonprofit organization he founded in 2012 - at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

The horrifying and tragic murder has sent shockwaves across the world, with the suspect still at large on Thursday amid an ongoing FBI manhunt.

And Paige Lorenze, the influencer and entrepreneur who recently got engaged to world No 15 tennis player Paul, has taken to social media with a rare political message in the wake of both Kirk's death and the senseless murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte last month.

In a post shared to her story, the 27-year-old initially told her one million followers on Instagram that she has 'always tried to keep this space free of politics, and for the most part I'll continue to do so.'

However, she continued: 'But the recent deaths in our country are too disturbing to ignore. Whatever Charlie Kirk's views may have been, that doesn't matter right now, what matters is keeping his family, especially his young children, in our prayers.

'And alongside this, the tragic losses of those in Denver as well as Iryna Zarutska are additional painful reminders of how divided and troubled our country has become.

'Rest in peace Charlie Kirk, Iryna Zarutska, and every life lost to the brokenness in our system. I'm praying for more compassion, more humanity, and a future with less division. 

'And if anyone here feels it's acceptable to celebrate the death of another human being because of their political beliefs, you are part of the problem and I encourage you to unfollow me.'

While Lorenze's fiance Paul is yet to comment publicly, a number of high-profile sporting figures have spoken out on the assassination of Kirk over the past 24 hours.

Former race car driver and conservative commentator Danica Patrick issued a chilling warning to America in the wake of the shooting, saying on Instagram: 'I am worried about anarchy and civil war... but maybe that's my own anger being projected. I don't feel settled. I am sad. And angry. We could all be living in joy but so many decided to be victims and offended by everything.

'Even god. Because that's what @charliekirk1776 fought for. For his word to be heard and considered as a better way to live. And he was killed for it. We haven't progressed as humans. And this is frightening.' 

Barstool Sports founder and president Dave Portnoy also took aim at the 'insane' rhetoric of the country's left wing while also explaining his belief that Donald Trump's divisiveness played a part in Kirk's death.

'When I say Trump has a huge part in it, I don't necessarily mean he's to blame for it, but he's so divisive... [even just] his face is divisive. People hate him so much,' Portnoy said on Thursday.

 'And the left and the right, the rhetoric - especially to me the left, is insane - and it just boils, boils, boils, boils.

'This happened with Trump, when his assassination attempt [happened] there was like a three-hour period of "let's tone down the rhetoric", and then they're right back to it.'

He then added: 'If you sit there and you call people Nazis over and over and over, and say that they're threatening Democracy and they're fascist over and over... you can't then be like, "What happened?"

'That goes together, because if you truly think you're killing a Nazi, or you truly think you're killing a fascist, in your head you're thinking "I did good for society."'